Groucho Marx, Lee Siegel
Groucho Marx, Lee Siegel
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Groucho Marx
The Comedy of Existence

Author: Lee Siegel

Narrator: Joe Barrett

Unabridged: 4 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 01/19/2016


Synopsis

Born Julius Marx in 1890, the brilliant comic actor who would later be known as Groucho was the most verbal of the famed comedy team, the Marx Brothers, his broad slapstick portrayals elevated by ingenious wordplay and double entendre. In his spirited biography of this beloved American iconoclast, Lee Siegel views the life of Groucho through the lens of his work on stage, screen, and television. The author uncovers the roots of the performer's outrageous intellectual acuity and hilarious insolence toward convention and authority in Groucho's early upbringing and Marx family dynamics.

The first critical biography of Groucho Marx to approach his work analytically, this fascinating study draws unique connections between Groucho's comedy and his life, concentrating primarily on the brothers' classic films as a means of understanding and appreciating Julius the man. Unlike previous uncritical and mostly reverential biographies, Siegel's "bio-commentary" makes a distinctive contribution to the field of Groucho studies by attempting to tell the story of his life in terms of his work and vice versa.

About Lee Siegel

Lee Siegel is the author of several books, including Are You Serious? and Against the Machine. The recipient of a National Magazine Award, he writes about culture and politics for the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, among many other publications.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Paulatics on February 15, 2016

I'm 62 years old and have been a Marx Brothers fan for over 45 years. I've read most everything by them and about them and can recite entire movies. This author's big contribution is that Groucho had trouble with women. No kidding??!!......more

Goodreads review by Kerry on November 28, 2020

I have been reading this series Jewish Lives published by Yale University Press, and this book is my favorite in the series so far. I have always been a big fan of comedians, but the author does an excellent job of analyzing Jewish comedy. According to Lee Siegel, Groucho's style of comedy goes back......more

Goodreads review by Liz on July 03, 2016

I did not enjoy this psychobiography of Groucho Marx and will not be finishing it. Lee Siegel is an insightful thinker about matters of popular culture, but his subject is unlikable and unsympathetic. Essentially Siegel's argument is that the Groucho we see on screen--misogynist, narcissistic, aggre......more

Goodreads review by Melissa on January 17, 2024

Funny Marx Bros. bits and anecdotes, randomly chosen with no apparent theme and strung together by nonsensical psychoanalysis. Well read, though......more

Goodreads review by Casey on February 06, 2016

I received a Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher. It is with the understanding that I will publish a review on Net Galley, Amazon and Goodreads. In addition I have posted it on my blog, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus pages. I requested this book because I ha......more